Stanford Teams Head Field at Ojai Tennis Tournament

Stanford will bring its top-ranked men’s and women’s tennis teams to the Ojai Valley in a warmup for the upcoming NCAA tournament and is expected to lead the way in Ojai Valley tennis tournament today through Sunday.

Sandra Birch and Stanford teammate Meredith McGrath are the top two ranked women’s players in the Volvo Tennis/Collegiate rankings, and Stanford’s Jonathan Stark is the No. 2-ranked men’s player. Byron Black of USC is ranked No. 5, and Trisha Laux of USC is ranked No. 3 behind Birch, the Pacific 10 Conference’s defending champion, and McGrath.

The tournament will decide the singles and doubles champions in the Pac-10 and the Big West. It will also determine the Big West team champion.

More than 1,500 players in 32 divisions will compete in the 91st tournament, held at a number of locations in and around Ojai but headquartered downtown at Libbey Park.

The Ojai is the oldest and largest amateur tennis tournament played in one location in the United States. Former Ojai stars include Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Pancho Gonzalez, Jack Kramer, Bill Tilden, Jimmy Connors, Helen Wills Moody, Billie Jean King, Tracy Austin and Rosie Casals.